Pair Guilty in Scheme to Sell Trial Strategy
Two men have admitted to trying to sell the plaintiffs’ trial strategy plans to tobacco industry lawyers in a high-stakes case, federal prosecutors said.
Said Farraj, 28, a former paralegal at the New York office of Orrick, Harrington & Sutcliffe, and his brother Yeazid, 25, pleaded guilty to the scheme in separate federal court appearances, they said.
Orrick Harrington is one of several law firms that represented the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, which paid out more than $1 billion in claims by workers suffering cancer and other ailments from inhalation of asbestos fibers.
The trust sued the tobacco industry to recoup a large portion of the funds, alleging that cigarette makers concealed information that smoking heightened the health risks of asbestos workers.
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